From the balcony of the central presidential palace, the Holy Father greeted young people gathered in Plaza de la Paz, Guanajuato, Mexico, yesterday evening.

Dear Young People,

I am happy to be able to meet with you and to see your smiling faces as you fill this beautiful square. You have a very special place in the Pope’s heart. And in these moments, I would like all the children of Mexico to know this, especially those who have to bear the burden of suffering, abandonment, violence or hunger, which in recent months, because of drought, has made itself strongly felt in some regions. I am grateful for this encounter of faith, and for the festive and joyful presence expressed in song. Today...READ MORE

Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Guanajuato, Mexico, his first stop on a six day tour that will also take him to Cuba.

Speaking to journalists on the papal plane, the Holy Father stressed the Church “is not a political power, not a party, but a moral reality, a moral power.” Read more details on his airborne press conference from Vatican Radio here.

At the welcoming ceremony at Guanajuato airport, the Pope stressed the importance of the fundamental right to religious freedom (full text below). Check back here for more of Benedict XVI’s addresses and homilies on this, the 23rd apostolic voyage outside Italy of his pontificate.

In an important news day from the Vatican today, Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., has been named as the new Archbishop of Baltimore. He replaces Cardinal Edwin O’Brien who last week took up his new post here in Rome as Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Bishop Lori was one of three appointments to U.S. dioceses announced today:

* Msgr. David Malloy, until now a priest of the diocese of Milwaukee and a former general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has been appointed Bishop of Rockford, Ill., replacing Bishop Thomas Doran.
* Fr. Gregory Parkes, who has been serving as Chancellor and Vicar General of the...READ MORE

Members of "Ireland Stand Up" and their children campaigning outside the front gates of Villa Spada, Rome, March 17th.

At one time, you couldn’t get a more staunchly Catholic government than Ireland’s. But last November it surprised many by deciding to close its embassy to the Holy See in Rome, ostensibly for economic reasons, though the underlying motives appear more political and ideological.

Now a grassroots campaign is hoping to overturn the decision, and it’s proving to be considerably successful. Called “Ireland Stand Up” , the movement is calling on the Irish Government to re-open its embassy to the Holy See, reinstate its resident ambassador, and invite Pope Benedict XVI to visit their country. The movement received the backing of the Holy Father who, in a letter sent in January, said he “very much...READ MORE

Pope Benedict XVI created 22 new cardinals this morning at a celebration of the fourth ordinary public consistory of his pontificate in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The new cardinals, the Holy Father said in his homily, “are entrusted with the service of love: love for God, love for his Church, an absolute and unconditional love for his brothers and sisters, even unto shedding their blood, if necessary, as expressed in the words of placing the biretta and as indicated by the color of their robes.”

They are asked, he added, “to serve the Church with love and vigor, with the transparency and wisdom of teachers, with the energy and strength of shepherds, with the fidelity and courage of martyrs....READ MORE

After Pope Benedict XVI named 22 new cardinals last week, a large number of whom were Italian (seven in total, six of whom head Vatican departments), the Holy Father could be on the verge of appointing a fellow German to head the all-important Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

German newspapers have been discussing for some time the possibility that the Bishop of Regensburg, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, is being lined up to succeed Cardinal William J. Levada as prefect of the CDF. The speculation is likely to increase after Bishop Müller met the Pope in private audience today immediately following this morning’s weekly general audience.

This morning in the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI delivered the following address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See. Religious freedom, the Arab Spring, the Middle East peace process, the economic crisis, education and the environment were all key themes.

***

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is always a particular pleasure for me to receive you, the distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, in the splendid setting of this Sala Regia, and personally to offer you my cordial good wishes for the New Year. Before all else, I thank your Dean, Ambassador Alejandro Valladares Lanza, and the Vice-Dean, Ambassador Jean-Claude Michel, for the...READ MORE

Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Archbishop Edwin O’Brien are among 22 prelates and distinguished clergymen to be made cardinals at a consistory on February 18th. Pope Benedict XVI made the announcement today at the midday Angelus for the celebration of the Feast of the Ephiphany.

The full list (Vatican Radio):

1. Msgr. Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples;

About Edward Pentin

Edward Pentin began reporting on the Pope and the Vatican with Vatican Radio before moving on to become the Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register. He has also reported on the Holy See and the Catholic Church for a number of other publications including Newsweek, Newsmax,Zenit, The Catholic Herald, and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specializing in the Church and the Middle East. Follow on Twitter @edwardpentin